The Law Society of England and Wales has launched a new guide to help solicitors make safer, more informed technology decisions, whilst warning that ‘unsafe AI adoption may expose firms to risks’.
The majority of firms and solicitors now use AI for routine legal practice tasks such as drafting documents and analysing case materials. Although the use of AI and technology as a whole may have significant benefits, it also carries great risks. Challenges to data protection are heightened. The risk of unreliable and inaccurate outputs increases. AI tools are also notorious for having embedded biases.
The Law Society guide stresses the importance of human oversight as an ongoing requirement.
This new guide aims to outline clear practical steps on how to identify the business needs, decide on the type of technology required, develop the brief, find different suppliers, negotiate contracts, embed the new tools and evaluate them.
Ian Jeffery, chief executive at the Law Society, said:
“Our new guide helps firms ask the right questions, avoid common pitfalls and make informed decisions.
“The benefits of technology can be enormous, allowing more time to focus on original thinking and innovation. But the downside can be considerable if firms do not adopt new technologies, including AI, safely and responsibly to serve the people and communities they live in.”
This new resource also offers downloadable templates to help firms ‘strengthen their procurement processes and adopt technology efficiently and safely’.
Download the guide
The Buying New Technology guide of the Law Society of England and Wales can be found here.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority also offers some useful innovation compliance tips and resources here.
